Method and system for managing subscription services with a cable modem

• US 6,018,767 A
• Filed: 02/24/1998
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, Philip T., Lee, Ronald B., Fijolek, John G., Gun, Levent
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/028,404
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/229, 709/230, 709/231, 709/238, 709/250, 348/6, 348/7, 348/8, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A method and system for managing network services such as subscription services from a cable modem in a data-over-cable system. The cable modem receives an initialization message on a cable television connection indicating what services are available on a data network. The cable modem uses a connection to a public switched telephone network in the data-over-cable system to send requests to and receive responses from the data network. A telephony remote access concentrator on the public switched telephone network provides an additional security mechanism by not allowing a cable modem to subscribe to unauthorized services. Using the public switched telephone network does not compromise the security of the cable television network. In addition, the public switched telephone network is used to provide administrative support to the cable television network on lower bandwidth connections by providing an administrative pathway outside of the higher bandwidth cable television connections.

Claims

1. In a data-over-cable system including a network device connected to a first network with a first downstream connection of a first connection type, connected to a second network with an upstream connection of a second connection type and connected to the second network with a second downstream connection of a second connection type, the first network and second network connected to a third network with the third connection type, a method of managing network services, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving a first message from the first network on the first downstream connection on the network device, wherein the first message includes a list of services on the third network available to the network device;

storing the list of services from the first message on the network device;

sending a second message from the network device on the upstream connection to the second network requesting one or more of the available network services on the third network from the list of services from the first message; and

receiving a third message on the second downstream connection from the second network on the network device indicating a status for one or more available network services requested by the network device in the second message.

2. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network is a cable television network, the second network is a public switched telephone network and the third network is a data network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the data network is any of the Internet or intranet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first connection type is a cable television connection, the second connection type is a telephony connection and the third connection type is an Internet Protocol connection.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message is management message for the network device including a list of network addresses for services available on the third network.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message is a medium access control message, the second and third messages are an Internet Protocol messages.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the network device is a cable modem.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first message contains a list of less than all of the services available on the third network.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a third message from the third network on the first network and the second network in response to the second message sent by the network device; and

forwarding the third message to the network device only from the second downstream connection on the second network.

11. In a data-over-cable system including a network device connected to a first network with a first downstream connection of a first connection type, the network device connected to a second network with an upstream connection of a second connection type and connected to the second network with a second downstream connection of a second network type, the first network and second network connected to a third network with the third connection type, a method of managing network services, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving a first message from the first network on the second network including a list of services on the third network available to the network device;

storing the list of services available to the network device on the first network;

receiving a second message from the network device on the second network on the upstream connection, wherein the second message is a request for one or more services available on the third network;

determining whether the network device is allowed to request the more or more services in the second message available on the third network using the list of services, and if so,

forwarding the second message to the third network;

receiving a third message on the second network indicating a status for the one or more services requested by the network device in the second message; and

forwarding the third message from the second network over the second downstream connection to the network device.

12. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 11.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining whether the network device is allowed to request the one or more services available from the second message on the third network, and if not,

sending a fourth message over the second downstream connection to the network device, wherein the fourth message is a rejection message for one or more of the services available on the third network.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a third message on the first network and on the second network, wherein the third message indicates a status for the one or more services requested by the network device in the second message; and

forwarding the third message only over the second downstream connection from the second network to the network device.

15. In a data-over-cable system including a cable modem connected to a cable television network with a downstream cable connection, the cable modem connected to a public switched telephone network with an upstream telephony connection and connected to the public switched telephone network with a downstream telephony connection, the cable television network and public switched telephone network connected to a data network, a method of managing network services, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving a first message from the cable television network on the downstream cable connection on the cable modem, wherein the first message includes a list of services on the data network available to the cable modem;

sending a second message from the cable modem on the upstream telephony connection to the public switched telephone network, wherein the second message includes a request for one or more of the available network services on the data network from the list of services from the first message;

forwarding the second message from the public switched telephone network to the data network;

receiving a third message on the public switched telephone network, wherein the third message indicates a status for the one or more services requested by the cable modem in the second message; and

forwarding the third message from the public switched telephone network over the downstream telephony connection to the cable modem.

16. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 15.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining whether the cable modem is allowed to request the one or more services available on the data network, and if not,

sending a fourth message over the downstream telephony connection to the cable modem, wherein the fourth message is a rejection message for one or more of the services available on the data network.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of receiving a first message from the cable television network on the downstream cable connection on the cable modem includes receiving a first message from a cable modem termination system connected to the cable television network.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of receiving a third message on the public switched telephone network includes receiving third message on a telephony remote access concentrator connected to the public switched telephone network.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of receiving a third message on the public switched telephone network includes also receiving the third message on the cable television network.

22. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

forwarding the third message from the cable modem termination system over the downstream cable connection to the cable modem.

19. The method of clam 15 wherein the step of sending a second message from the cable modem on the upstream telephony connection to the public switched telephone network includes sending a second message from the cable modem on the upstream telephony connection to a telephony remote access concentrator connected to the public switched telephone network.

23. In a data-over-cable system including a cable modem connected to a cable modem termination system on a cable television network and connected to a telephony remote access concentrator on a public switched telephone network, the cable television network and public switched telephone network connected to a data network, a method of managing network services, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving a first message on the telephony remote access concentrator from the cable modem termination system, wherein the first message includes a list of services on the data network available to the cable modem;

sending a second message from the cable modem termination system to the cable modem on a downstream cable connection, wherein the second message includes a list of services on the data network available to the cable modem;

receiving a third message on the telephony remote access concentrator from the cable modem on an upstream telephony connection requesting one or more services on the data network;

determining on the telephony remote access concentrator with the list of services from the first message whether the cable modem is allowed to request the one or more services on the data network, and if so,

forwarding the third message to the data network from the telephony remote access concentrator for the cable modem; and

forwarding responses from the data network from the telephony remote access concentrator to the cable modem on a downstream telephony connection via the public switched telephone network,

thereby allowing the cable modem to request one or more services on the data network without sending request messages or receiving responses through the cable modem termination system on the cable television network.

24. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 23.